There’s a lot of love in the room for Killian Sundermann, the 30-something ‘Covid comedian’ (a label he wears uncomfortably) who gained the majority of his audience online. A quick survey of the crowd shows it’s mostly existing followers and a few blind buyers, which is to be expected since this is his Fringe debut. So there’s mystique around how his material will differ from his social media content.
The answer will please some fans: not greatly. But it’s also what holds it back. Raised in an Irish-German household in Dublin, he unpacks the unusual dichotomy just as he does on social media. Cultural observations characteristic of his Instagram content go down well, though without the assurance from Sundermann that they’re based on his own family, one could assume that they’re a little broad-brush.
The material that surprises and thus shines brightest is that which deviates from his prior output. Listening to him lament the unrealistic lifestyle markers sold to his generation of young millennials, for example, the ones that convinced him that the #vanlife might be just as good as a house deposit, is an unexpected and welcome addition to the mix. Others include Eddie Izzard-esque riffs on the likes of the Wedding at Cana or The Last Supper. One thing’s for sure, Sundermann knows his Bible.
What the reviews say will doubtless bear little importance on Sundermann’s fledgling stand-up career. The room is sold out. He’s got an inbuilt loyal following who already like him, and for good reason. Nevertheless, it would discredit him to assume he isn’t also interested in building a live following out of the previously uninitiated. Assuming that’s a goal, more time on the club circuit in front of total strangers will no doubt push the promising stand-up further out of his comfort zone and into writing routines that will kill in any room.
Killian Sundermann: This Boy is Cracking Up, Underbelly Bristo Square, until 21 Aug (not 11), 5.30pm